Nothing Quite Like Christmas
by AriEmeraldstar
Summary: Something about Christmas this year just doesn't feel right to Gary...but what's that certain special something that's missing? Palletshipping, Rated T to be safe for very light, mistletoe-induced yaoi and a couple sentences of Dawn bashing - may go up .
1. Chapter 1

**I was feeling a little Palletshippy today, and this came out. It may or may not become a full-length story, but enjoy it while it's here!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon -- Ken Sugimori-sensei does.**

Ash leaned back, stretching out a bit before relaxing onto the couch with a contented sigh. His amber eyes closed, and he allowed himself to drift away with the sounds around him: the hushed snapping and crackling of the fire, the _scritch scritch scritch_ of a broom sweeping away snow on the porch, and the soft carols emitting from the radio.

There was nothing quite like Christmas.

Something moved on his lap, and Ash smiled, opening his eyes to the familiar sight of Pikachu, and rested a hand on his pokemon's head. "Hey, Pikachu. Has Dawn decided that it's time to open presents already?"

"Pika!" Pikachu answered, closing his own eyes and rubbing his head into his trainer's hand before jumping off beside him and tugging on his sleeve.

Ash laughed and stood, picking up Pikachu as he did. "I know, I know, you're glad to be home, and able to see everyone again, right?" he teased the small yellow pokemon, who assumed his regular place on Ash's shoulder.

A sudden gust of cold wind carried a small flurry of snowflakes and a rather enthusiastic-looking Mr. Mime. "Mime, Mime, Mr. Mime!" he called, waving the broom he carried in one comically oversized hand excitedly around.

"Ash, will you please see what Mimey's going on about?" the faint voice of Delia drifted in from the open door to the kitchen down the hall. "Brock and I can't leave the stove!"

"All right, mom!" Ash called back, walking over past the distressed Mr. Mime and peering out into the white shaded landscape that had become Pallet Town. Everything was blanketed in white with the heavy snowfall that had hit the very day Ash, Brock, and Dawn had arrived at his house -- the only indication that anything but white existed outside that door was the faint grey shadows clinging to the edges of blurred shapes.

And yet...there was something else out there. A black smudge amid the pristine white, vaguely upright, and moving -- slowly, methodically, but moving in their direction. Ash squinted, trying to discern a more definite shape, then suddenly broke into a wide grin and bounded back into the house. "He's coming!"

"What?" Dawn exclaimed, entering the room with Delia, the elder of the two wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

"Oh dear, he's too early!" she fretted, brow creasing worriedly. "I only just put the ham in the oven, and the potatoes aren't anywhere _near_ done, oh, and the vegetables still need to be prepared and we still haven't finished decorating -- "

"Oh, no need to worry, Mrs. Ketchum," Dawn interrupted, "I can finish the decorating! You and Brock can finish the cooking, and Ash can help me with the decorating!" The young coordinator flashed a smile towards Ash. "Or, you can welcome your guest and entertain him while I finish up! Everything will work out fine."

"Oh, Dawn, I hope you're right." Delia muttered before she scurried back into the kitchen. Just as her apron whisked behind the door, a knock came at the front door, and Dawn smiled.

"Wow, he got here fast!" she exclaimed, giving Ash a small push. "Well, don't just leave him out there! Let him in, and then you can both help me decorate!"

Ash chuckled, hurrying for the door and pulling the heavy, ornate wood open. A figure slightly taller than himself, completely sheathed in a brown traveling cloak, stood in the doorframe, and Ash's grin widened as a hand reached up and pulled back the hood of the cloak. "Gary! It's been _ages_, man - how are you?"

Pitch-black eyes gleamed in the sudden light as Gary shook his chocolate brown spikes free of the heavy material of the cloak. "Cold. Can I come in?"

"Of course!" Dawn squeaked, popping up beside Ash and shoving a box full of ornaments into his arms. "You're just in time to help us decorate the tree!"

Gary's face fell slightly as he entered, shutting the door behind him. "Oh, am I?" he asked, voice becoming noticeably less enthused. Ash raised an eyebrow, curious, but Dawn didn't seem to notice.

"Yup! You boys start on the tree," she continues, shoving a box full of lights into Gary's arms, "while I'll get the room looking a little nicer! Let's get started!"

-------------------

The room was warm and cozy, with the fire now burning jauntily, the tree glinting and glistening in the firelight, and snowflakes as large as dinner plates drifted silently down against the inky backdrop of the night of Christmas Eve. Dinner had been rich and delicious -- but then, Gary hadn't expected anything less from Ash's mom in terms of cooking.

No...something about tonight just wasn't quite right.

His grandfather and Tracy had come over just before dinner, bringing some of Ash's smaller pokemon along as a surprise so he could see them again -- Bulbasaur, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Corphish, and even Bayleef had insisted, rather forcefully, on not being left behind. The decorations were spotless, and the room looked fantastic -- Gary grudgingly had to admit to himself that, while that Dawn girl might be dull as a rusty spoon, she could do well as a designer if she ever gave up contests.

Even the pokemon seemed to be enjoying themselves, spread out in the spacious living room and amusing themselves. Delia had drawn the line at letting his Electivire and Blastoise, Dawn's Mamoswine, and Ash's Gliscor, Grotle, and Staravia out, however; she had stated that if they wanted pokemon running all over the place, they should have gone to his grandfather's and eaten outside in the snow. No one seemed to mind, however.

'_It's Christmas Eve,'_ Gary thought with a sigh as he leaned against the frame leading into the room, watching the interactions of people and pokemon alike. _'I'm getting to spend Christmas Eve at home for one, with grandpa, I just had a great meal...tomorrow's _Christmas_ for Arceus' sake -- Christmas! The holiday I used to love as a kid, the one I have so many great memories of, the one point of the year that I liked best. And now, for some reason...I just don't care. Why don't I care?'_

"Gary?"

Gary blinked, startled out of his thoughts by someone calling his name. He blinked again -- it was Ash. "I thought you were reuniting with your pokemon, Ash." he said, smirking slightly. "Bayleef seemed to really have missed you." he added, throwing in a mocking tone much like the one he used to direct towards Ash with every word. _'But those days were long ago,'_ he reminded himself quickly, _'back when I was young and arrogant.'_

Ash laughed slightly, leaning against the other side of the doorframe and turning back into the room, letting his gaze rest upon Pikachu and Umbreon, who appeared to be swapping stories. "Yeah, she did. It was nice of Professor Oak to bring over some of my old Pokemon -- I've missed them a lot."

Gary nodded. "I bet. You always were a sentimental one when it came to your pokemon, Ashy-boy." _'"Ashy-boy"? I haven't called him that in years...where did that come from?'_

Ash turned his head slightly towards him and gave him a look. "You say that like it's a bad thing, Gary."

Something in Gary's chest lurched at the expression on Ash's face -- an odd mix of irritation, sadness, and hurt. Hesitantly, he reached out and lay a hand on Ash's shoulder. "Hey, Ashy-boy, I was just kidding around with you..."

A sharp squeal emitted from the room, making Gary's face scrunch up in pain. "Eee! Look at you two!" Dawn squealed again, clapping her hands up near her grinning mouth as she bounded up to them. "You-'re under the mi-stletoe, you-'re under the mi-stletoe!" she said in a singsong-like voice, dancing around. "Go on, kiss!"

Gary looked up and groaned -- sure enough, this girl had managed to hang the mistletoe, that most dreaded of plants, right above his and Ash's heads.

"What? No way, Dawn, you've got to be kidding!" Ash sputtered, face turning as red as the nose on Santa's lead Stantler.

Gary quirked an eyebrow at Ash's reaction -- embarrassment was nothing surprising, but a _blush?_ A small smirk worked it's way onto Gary's lips. _'Well...this is an interesting development.'_ he thought, then slung his arm around Ash's shoulder. "Aw, come on, Ashy-boy. We _are_ under the mistletoe."

Ash's eyes widened and, just as Gary had predicted, his blush deepened. "G-Gary?"

"What's one kiss, huh Ash? Or are you _scared?_" Gary teased.

"O-of course I'm not scared!" Ash retorted, stammering slightly. "W-what's one kiss?"

Gary smirked. "Then why haven't you kissed me yet?"

"I was...don't rush me!" Ash sputtered.

A small chuckle escaped Gary's lips before he bent in close to Ash's face. "I wasn't trying to rush you." he assured him with a whisper before leaning in a little closer and placing a soft kiss on the lips of his rival.

**Reviews make me smile :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two! And here I thought this would never come to be. But whenever I open my mailbox, there's an e-mail or three saying that someone has favorited this story. I beseech you, those of you who marked this story as one of your favorites: please leave a review! I really like hearing from you all, and I'm glad everyone likes this story so much. I'll do my best to keep it up, okay? ^_^ Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, nor do I own the song that appears midway through. Ken Sugimori owns Pokemon, and Disney owns "Hellfire" from ****The Hunchback of Notre Dame****.**

Something was wrong.

Gary sat stiffly on the couch, hands wrapped around a mug of steaming cocoa. His grandfather and Tracy had gone back to the lab, claiming that they couldn't leave the pokemon alone any longer. Dawn and Brock were sitting with him on the couch, chatting about the best way to make Poffins, while Delia had retired to her bedroom after cautioning them not to stay up too late and insisting that Gary stay the night.

Ash hadn't shown himself since the mistletoe incident. He had retired to his room, complaining of a stomach ache.

'_Bull,'_ Gary thought, staring down at his dull reflection in the brown liquid, broken up by gooey islands of white marshmallows. _'He's still feeling weird about the kiss. Was that really his first?'_ Gary had a hard time believing that. Ever since Ash had started his journey, he'd been traveling with a girl who'd had an obvious crush on him. First it was Misty, then that May girl he'd been told about, and now Dawn. All three, from everything he'd seen -- or, in May's case, heard -- obviously fancied themselves in love with Ash. Then again, Ash was notoriously oblivious when it came to anything other than pokemon training. _'Even then, he can still be a bit dense,'_ Gary thought with a small smile. _'Still, I can't believe none of these girls have stolen a kiss from him yet. There was that incident with Latias he told me about...'_ That didn't count in Gary's eyes, though. In the form of a human or not, Latias was still a pokemon, when all was said and done. Ash himself hadn't even seemed all that phased, once he'd gotten over the initial surprise.

'_So what's going on now?'_ he wondered, brows knitting together. He gave a small internal sigh and stood, setting his mug down on the table. _'I guess I'd better find out.'_

"What's wrong, Gary?" Brock asked.

"Oh...I'm just a bit tired," Gary replied nonchalantly. "I think I'm going to turn in. I'm sleeping in Ash's room, right?"

Brock nodded. "Yeah, I'm in the guest room and Dawn is going to be in Mrs. Ketchum's room." Dawn giggled.

"Have fu-un in there!"

Gary barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes, instead giving a pleasant smile and making his way out of the living room, turning in the direction of Ash's room.

--------------------

The pale ceiling began to swim, and amber eyes slowly blinked, clearing the vision. They were the only muscles Ash had used since he'd retreated to his room and laid on his bed, his hands behind his head. Even his breathing was barely perceptible.

'_What's wrong with me...?' _he wondered glumly, letting a sigh burst from his lips. _'Bah...I need some music.'_ With a herculean effort, he groaned and turned over onto his stomach. His arm flopped out, catching his CD player/radio on the top. His finger gently pushed down on the 'play' button. After a few encouraging whirrs that started the CD back up from where it was, music began to play.

_Like fire,_

_Hellfire,_

_This fire in my skin,_

_This burning,_

_Desire,_

_Is turning me to sin..._

_CLICK_

Ash groaned softly -- it _had_ to be the CD of Disney songs Dawn had given him as a present. He didn't even have any idea how it had gotten in there in the first place. Even worse was the song that had started playing.

Why was he so _hot?_ He felt like his insides were no longer there, replaced by a fire only barely kept in check by the barrier of his skin. He could almost feel the flames licking at the undersides of his skin, and clenched his fists and eyes, groaning. It was bad enough to make him want to strip down and go roll around in the snow, just so he could try and cool off, but he had a dim suspicion that the snow would just melt around him from the heat. '_But oh, this is getting unbearable! It's so hot...why is it so hot? Gary...why...why do you make me feel like I'm on fire? It...it hurts...I think...but it feels...good?'_

A soft knock came at his door.

"Come in."

The door opened quietly, and Gary poked his head in. "Hey Ash."

Ash winced into his pillow. "Hey Gary."

Gary slipped in, shutting the door behind him. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah Gary," Ash replied in the same monotone voice. "I'm perfectly fine."

Gary sighed. "Come on, Ash, you're not fooling me. Is this about the mistletoe?"

No response.

Gary sighed. "Look, Ash...if you didn't want to do it --" He was cut off by a low mumble coming from Ash's general direction. "Pardon?"

"I...did wanna..."

Gary's eyebrows merged with his hairline. "You did?" Gary himself was amazed at how hard he had to work in order to keep his voice steady.

Ash curled up on his bed, an ashamed look reminiscent of a kicked Poochyena etched onto his face. "I...yeah...but..."

"Ash?"

Golden brown eyes slowly swiveled over to meet Gary's raven black. "What?"

Gary gave a small smile, coming over to Ash's bed and sitting next to him, placing a hand gently on his leg. "You wanna know the truth? I wanted to kiss you, too."

Ash's expression instantaneously switched from shame and defeat to something between badly confused and pure elation. "You...did?"

"Mm-hm," Gary nodded. "And you want to know something else?"

"What?"

Gary's smile morphed into a smirk and he reached over, pressing down the 'play' button on Ash's CD player/radio once again. As the song started up once more, he leaned in close and whispered, "I'd like to do it again, too. Will you let me, Ash?"

"But...we're both guys." Ash replied, sitting up and clutching his pillow in front of him. "We shouldn't be --"

"Ash, do you know how many times I've been on my grandfather's ranch, helping him out with the pokemon, only to stumble across two...er...breeding?" Gary interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "More times than I can count. And do you know what else? About half the time, it's two male or two female pokemon." Gary smiled gently. "It's perfectly natural, Ashy-boy. It's not 'wrong' or 'unnatural' -- it's love. What 'shouldn't be' is a need to justify it."

Ash's gaze turned away, looking down slightly as he hugged his pillow tighter. "But...I've never..."

"You think I have? Trust me, Ashy-boy, this is a shot out of left field for me, too." A comforting hand rested itself on Ash's shoulder; the dark-haired trainer flinched, but made no attempt to remove Gary's hand. "Think about it, Ash. Have you ever found yourself liking a girl?"

"Sure I like girls, Gary," Ash replied innocently, looking up at him. "There's Misty, and May, and Dawn...and Anabel, Angie --"

"You're missing my point, Ash." Gary said, taking Ash's chin in his hand and gently forcing the other trainer to look him in the eye. "Did you ever think you were in love with those girls?"

Ash paused, the look of shame creeping back onto his face. "N-no..." he finally admitted.

Gary put on another reassuring smile. "Ash, I'm not trying to reprimand you," he explained calmly. "I'm trying to make you see that this is okay."

Ash sighed, turning away; Gary let him go. "What will everyone say?" he muttered glumly.

Here, Gary could see Ash's concern. "Well...I don't know," he replied bluntly. "Grandpa will probably be okay...I think he's had his suspicions about me for a while, now," Gary admitted. "Tracy, I really don't think will care either way. I can't speak for Brock, Dawn, or your mother, though," he cautioned. "How do you think they'll react?"

Ash remained silent for a long time. "I...I think Brock would be ok," he finally said. "I dunno about my mom. Dawn..." He sighed. "Dawn would become our biggest fangirl."

Gary chuckled. _'Maybe I'm finally getting through to him,'_ he thought. "I'd have to agree with you there. But don't you see, Ash? All the people who really matter to us...they probably won't care. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that they'd all support us, no matter what."

"But Gary...I have my career as a trainer to think of, and you have yours as a researcher," Ash protested.

"What about them?" Gary asked. "There's nothing to stop you from becoming a Master if you're gay, nor me from becoming a Pokemon Professor like my grandfather." He gave a tired sigh, slumping slightly. "Ash, this can only be a good thing. Why can't you see that?"

"I'm just..." Ash sighed in reply. "I'm just not ready for a relationship, Gary. I don't know anything about being in one -- especially one with another guy."

"I'll make a deal with you then, Ash," Gary said, placing his hand once more on Ash's shoulder. "I won't say any more about this to you, I'll back off about it, until New Year's. If you decide that you want to accept this, then give me your New Year's kiss at midnight. If you decide against it..." His smile drooped slightly; it was still there, but significantly more downcast. "Then I won't press it. But the offer will always be open. Does that sound fair?"

'_A kiss at midnight...on New Year's...ah, Gary, why did you have to put all the pressure of this on me? Why couldn't you just make the decisions like you always do?'_ "I...I guess so," Ash muttered before turning to look Gary straight in the eye. "But if I decide no..."

"Then I won't bring up the matter again," Gary finished solemnly, nodding. "We have a deal, then?" he asked, extending his hand.

Ash took it firmly. "We have a deal."

Somewhere in the house, a clock chimed midnight, and Gary sighed, dropping his hand from Ash's grip. "We should probably go to sleep."

"Yeah..."

Swiftly, before Ash could react, Gary swooped in and gently kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, Ashy-boy. Pleasant dreams."

Ash's hand clapped to his face, which was quickly becoming a shade of red similar to that it had been under the mistletoe. "Gary! You promised!"

"Relax, Ashy-boy. That'll be the only one." _'Until New Year's that is...well, hopefully.'_

**Thank you all for reading! Please, I'd really like to hear your feedback on this!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow! There's actually a chapter three! And here I thought this story would be content to live on as a one-shot...anyway, thank you so much to all the people who have reviewed and favorited this story! I'm a little concerned that I might have to bump the rating for this story up to R (or M or whatever you call it) here pretty soon...I hope that doesn't deter anyone, though!**

**Anyway, it's 3:28 in the morning, my roommate's pulling an all-nighter, and the creativity bat has struck once again. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer****: If I owned it, this would be canon.**

To say that Delia Ketchum was worried about her son would be akin so saying that a mother Ursaring is only mildly miffed that her cub is in danger.

Since Christmas, she'd notice him acting very strangely. Simply put, he was not the son she knew. He spent most of his time in his room, and when he did come out, he usually went straight outside to spend time with his pokemon. Delia knew Ash could be forgetful, but surely no one could just _forget_ to bundle up when it was ten below outside, on a warm day. But the one sure sign she saw that something was wrong, even more than the forced cheerfulness, the seclusion, and the profound absent-mindedness, was something much simpler.

Ash had very nearly refused all food since Christmas.

There was nothing Delia could do but stand back and watch her son starve himself, a worried look on her face and wringing her apron nervously. Something was seriously wrong with her little boy, but she had no idea what it might be. She instinctively knew Ash wouldn't tell her if she asked him directly. The boy was a horrible liar, but that didn't mean he would tell her exactly what was going on.

"Oh Mimey, I don't know what to do." Delia sighed one day, the last day of the year, as she sank into a chair in the kitchen. "Brock and Dawn have been dears, but Ash..." With a small, choking sound almost like a sob, she placed her head in her hands. "I know he's been claiming to have the a stomach ache, but he refuses to go to a doctor about it. And I know he doesn't actually have a stomach ache, but he won't tell me what's wrong. My little boy..."

"Mime mime..." Mimey didn't know what was wrong with his mistress, and that upset the usually cheery mime pokemon as he patted a hand on her shoulder.

Delia sniffed and took her head out of her hands, feigning a smile. "Thanks, Mimey. I can always count on you."

"Mr. Mime!"

"And who knows? Today's New Year's Eve, and we're going over to the Oak's for a party. Maybe that will cheer up our little Ash, hm?"

"Mime mime!" Mimey broke out into a wide grin. He wasn't sure if he'd actually done anything, but his mistress was feeling better. And that, the pokemon concluded as he returned to the chore he'd been working on before Delia had come in (which was sweeping the floor), is what really mattered, right?

--------------------

It appeared as though Ash hadn't moved from his position on Christmas Eve. He was still laying flat on his back, staring at his ceiling, and -- as was becoming usual over the past couple weeks -- thinking about Gary.

'_Tonight's my deadline,_ Ash thought with a small groan, _'but I still don't have a decision yet.'_ He gave another sigh, moving his hands from behind his head so he could sit up. The sudden rush of blood, coupled with the fact that he was already lightheaded from the drastic decrease of food he'd been eating, caused the room to spin, and Ash wobbled dangerously. His hands shot out, one going onto the mattress to support himself, the other flying up to his head in an effort to steady it. Still, it was a good five minutes before the room stopped wobbling. _'Gary...what are you doing to me? How are you making me act this way, feel this way?'_

An uncomfortable -- and distinctly unfamiliar -- tightness made Ash groan slightly, the insides of his thighs chafing. He'd noticed this before; this happened whenever he even thought about Gary, lately. With a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a sigh, Ash leaned back against the wall, still sitting on his bed, and brought his knees about halfway up, spreading them apart slightly. He'd found this to be the most comfortable position whenever this happened -- and it had been happening quite frequently, as of late.

As Ash let his head thunk back against the wall, he closed his eyes, not realizing that his own hands were starting to slip down his stomach. _'Arceus, this hurts! It's so tense and hot -- ohh Arceus, the _heat!_ It's never been this bad before...Gary...Gary please...come...take the heat away...Gary...you brought it, you lit this fire...you can come put it out, can't you? Gary...'_

--------------------

Brock walked down the halls of the Ketchum home, carrying a box of things Delia had asked him to help move. The tension in the house, with Ash's strange behavior, was getting unbearable, especially since Delia seemed to insist upon keeping up the facade that nothing was wrong, and Ash really _was_ suffering from a two-week long stomachache, as he claimed.

Brock knew Ash better than that. He'd traveled with the younger trainer for too long, and also had experience with his own younger siblings. It seemed like no one could keep secrets from him -- he could always tell when they were trying to hide something. However, Brock didn't push it. He also knew Ash must have his reasons, though Brock did have some suspicions...

He paused as he passed Ash's room, hearing hushed sounds from inside. Intrigued and curious, he glanced around, making sure no one else was nearby, before moving closer to the door and leaning the side of his head close to it.

He heard muffled "nngh" noises through the door, one after another. They seemed to have an irregular tempo, starting off slow, then speeding up, then slowing down again, and the intervals were never the same. Then, a low, hoarse voice moaned out, _"Gaaaryyy....."_

Brock's eyebrows raised; there was no mistaking what was causing those noises. _'So that's it...I gotta say, after that whole mistletoe thing, I'm surprised it wasn't more obvious.'_ Brock admitted to himself with a small sigh, shaking his head. _'But it _is_ obvious that Mrs. Ketchum doesn't know. Ash won't tell her, that's for sure. I guess that leaves things up to me...Ash could really use the support right now, it'll be easier without him having to hide it.'_

His mind made up, and with a heavy weight on his shoulders, Brock continued on down the halls, hearing a muffled cry from behind Ash's door a few steps later. He simply set his face, continued walking, and hoped that Ash had some tissues handy to clean up.

"I've got those books you wanted me to move, Mrs. Ketchum." Brock announced as he shouldered open the kitchen door. "Are Dawn and Pikachu back from the market yet?"

"I'm afraid not, Brock." Delia answered, her back to him as she mixed a batter that smelled faintly of peanut butter and chocolate in a bowl with a wooden spoon. "Thank you -- could you go put those books in the den, please?"

"Mrs. Ketchum," Brock said gently, "I got these books from the den."

Delia gave a nervous laugh. "Oh...silly me. My mind has just been all over the place, lately."

"Are you worried about Ash?"

There was a long silence, broken only by the scraping of the wooden spoon on the metal bowl. "Baby...my baby..." Delia finally said softly, the beginnings of tears leaking into her voice. "Something's wrong with my baby, and I can't fix it..."

"Mrs. Ketchum..." Brock took a deep breath. "I think I know why Ash has been acting this way. I think...he might be realizing he's gay."

_SNAP!_

The top half of the wooden spoon Delia was using to stir her batter came clean off, and Delia clutched it in her hand, staring down at the half still in the bowl before giving a nervous, broken chuckle. "Don't...don't be _silly_, Brock. That's...that's _impossible_."

'_Oh dear...'_ "Mrs. Ketchum," Brock began reasonably, standing, "please, think about it. It makes sense; it explains his aversion to being around us, the long stays in his room -- even his loss of appetite. Don't you think this is hard for him to come to terms with, too? He needs you to support him right now, he needs --"

A low, threatening hiss emerged from Delia, the likes of which Brock had never heard before. "Who?"

Brock stood rooted to the spot, stunned. "I..."

"_Don't_ try to tell me you don't know, Brock Yusaburu!" Delia snapped, whirling around. The look on her face was one of such rage and fury, such sadness as tears streamed down her face, that Brock shrank back slightly from the intensity of it. "Who turned my little boy into this? Has he ever gotten a little _intimate_ with all those rivals of his? Paul? Jun? Harrison?"

Brock shook his head. "Mrs. Ketchum, please, I don't think --"

"It's that _Ritchie_ boy, isn't it?" Delia hissed. "The one he met when he went to the Indigo League. I swear I'll --"

"Mrs. Ketchum!" Brock finally interrupted firmly, putting his hands on the table for emphasis. "Please! I highly doubt your son is realizing a long-lost love for _Ritchie_, of all people; especially since the two haven't been in contact since they competed in the Indigo League together. But that's not the point. It doesn't matter _who_. All that matters now is that your son is going through a tough time, and he needs you, as his mother, to support him."

Delia shook her head, still crying. "You'll see. My son isn't one of those...those..._those_ people. He is a normal trainer, and something's wrong with him, and he won't tell his mother what it is. He's sick...that's all..."

Brock sighed. He could see that there would be no reasoning with Delia while she was in this state. "I'll just go put these books in the den, then, shall I?"

"Yes...thank you, Brock." Delia replied quietly, getting out another spoon and, as Brock left, methodically going back to work on her batter.

--------------------

Gary looked around the small crowd of people congregated in his grandfather's living room, his eyes out for one specific person. He knew Ash would be here -- the question became, where was he?

Someone tapped him on the shoulder and Gary turned, feeling hopeful. That expression quickly faded, however, when he saw who it was. "Hey Brock." he greeted the former gym leader with a voice that he hoped didn't betray too much disappointment.

"Gary, can I have a quick word?" Brock asked in a hushed tone, glancing over his shoulder. "Privately, if at all possible?"

"Sure." Gary acquiesced, trying not to let his disappointment show. "Come on, this way." He lead the breeder out of the living room, and stopped in the hallway just outside it. "What's on your mind?"

"What exactly happened between you and Ash on Christmas Eve?"

Gary winced -- Brock did _not_ sound pleased. "Well, there was the whole mistletoe incident, where we kissed." he replied honestly. "I couldn't get over how strange he was acting about it...I didn't realize that had been his first kiss. When I got up to go to bed, I talked to him about it, and he admitted that he wanted to kiss me. He was having a hard time accepting all of this, so I made him a deal: if he wanted to pursue a relationship with me, he could show it by kissing me here at midnight. If he didn't, I would drop the subject altogether, which I've also done since then."

Brock nodded. "It does make sense..."

"Has something been going on?"

Brock shook his head. "Ash has been acting really strange, and his mother's worried sick." he confessed. "Ash stopped _eating,_ Gary."

Gary's eyes widened, and a hurt expression crept into their coal-black corners. "I...he _stopped?_"

"Almost completely." Brock confirmed with a nod. "It took us a while to figure out what was going on, and I think I'm the only one who knows for sure. I tried approaching Mrs. Ketchum about it, but --"

"Oh boys!" Professor Oak called in, poking his head in the doorway. "Come on out here, don't lurk there like a couple of wallflowers. It's almost midnight!"

Gary and Brock rejoined the party, and Gary once more scanned the room for Ash. To his delight -- he hoped he hid it from being _too_ obvious -- he spotted Ash over by the refreshment table, clutching a half-drained flask of sparkling cider like his life depended on it.

"All right everyone! It's time for the countdown!" Tracy announced, dimming the lights so that only a cheesy disco ball remained, casting a spotty glow over the room.

Gary saw, to his amazement, that in the second he'd looked away from Ash, he had disappeared again, and his face fell. _'Perhaps it wasn't meant to be, after all...'_

Everyone counted in unison, but Gary remained silent as he stared at the clock. "Ten! Nine! Eight!"

Slight movement in the corner of his eye caused Gary to turn, and what he saw shocked him. Ash was making his way towards him, a determined look on his face and a blush that was visible even in the near darkness.

"Seven! Six!"

Gary started making his way towards Ash, and the two ended up directly underneath the disco ball. Ash was looking adamantly up at him, and Gary felt the skin on his arms, exposed by the loose black shirt he'd worn as he'd traveled through Sinnoh, break out into gooseflesh with anticipation. "You sure?" he whispered.

"Five! Four! Three!"

Ash reached up and turned his trademark cap backwards, as he'd used to do whenever sending out a pokemon, and nodded firmly. He still seemed awkward about it, but Gary smiled nonetheless. He bent down slightly as Ash leaned up...

"Two! One! Happy New Year!"

Two pairs of lips gently collided, Gary's gently caressing, and Ash's awkwardly still. All coherent thought was wiped from Gary's mind as he kissed the fellow trainer, his childhood friend, his first rival, a little more deeply, wrapping his arms around Ash and pulling him slightly closer. Though it was clear that Ash had no idea what he was doing, he did not resist, and let Gary lead.

When they finally broke apart, silence slammed upon their ears, and even Gary's face heated with every set of eyes upon them. Ash looked horrible -- he was shaking slightly, and had to lean on Gary for support as he looked fearfully around. The arm Gary had around his companion's waist tightened protectively, pulling him closer as he looked around, gauging the reactions.

His grandfather, though looking very stunned, also seemed pleased, and gave a smile and an accepting nod when Gary's eyes met his. Tracy was just standing there, blinking at them, as though he couldn't process what had just happened. Brock had his arms crossed, looking more concerned than anything, but his gaze was not directed at them. It was directed at Delia, who looked as though her whole world had just come crashing down about her ears.

A high-pitched squeal cut through the air, tearing through the silence as Dawn jumped up and down, clapping her hands with a ridiculous grin on her face. "Eee! I knew it! I _knew_ you two would get together! You were just so cute at Christmas, how could you not? Congratulations!"

Gary sighed. It appeared that Dawn's reaction had finally broken the very thin ice that seemed to have formed in the air, but his protective grasp on Ash didn't loosen a bit. His grandfather went over to comfort Delia, and Brock came up to them. Ash, at the approach of his longtime traveling companion, blushed and ducked his head. Brock, however, smiled encouragingly at Ash before turning to address both of them. "Do you think you'll be able to deal with this? The crap's hit the fan now -- there's no going back."

"Then we'll pretty much have to be able to deal with it." Gary replied calmly.

"My mom doesn't look happy..." Ash muttered.

Gary sighed. _'She sure as hell does not.'_ he mentally agreed. _'Brock was right on the money. The crap's really hit the fan now.'_

**Whoo boy -- this was a long one! I hope everyone enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I didn't get any requests for the return of fangirly-Dawn, but I DID receive a lot of positive reactions to her fangirlyness in the first chapter, so I brought her back! Besides, it's only fitting, given the situation. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


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